Art
The Gold Mohur From Ranjit Singh's Reign
by SHYAM BHATIA
A mystery buyer from India has paid more than £10,000 (Rs 800,000) for the gold coin from Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s reign that was auctioned in the United Kingdom earlier in the week.
The buyer read of the coin’s forthcoming sale and immediately contacted the auctioneers, Mullock’s, in the English county town of Ludlow.
The provenance of the coin is not known, but there is speculation in the U.K. that it comes from the estate of the late Dr John Login, a Scottish doctor who was appointed by the East India Company as Maharaja Duleep Singh’s guardian in the mid-19th century.
As Duleep Singh’s guardian, Login had total responsibility of looking after the young Maharaja and access to all his assets. [Many of the items that were plundered from the Sikh kingdom, including the priceless Kohinnoor, were personally 'whisked away' by Login].
Also, precisely how much Login gained from his life-long "monitoring" of Duleep Singh is not known, but when the doctor died, Dalip Singh paid for the headstone above his grave.
Bidding for the gold coin started last Thursday at $6,500 (Rs 530,000), but soon started to go up in £500 increments. This was because of the bidding from an Indian buyer who made his interest known via an open telephone line to the auctioneers.
Mullock’s refuse to disclose who the buyer is, but they say that readers should be pleased that the coin has returned to the subcontinent.
[Courtesy: Tribune. Edited for sikhchic.com]
November 20, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), November 21, 2011, 8:39 PM.
What a State and what an Emperor! The world lost deeply when British greed usurped this beautiful land 162 years ago.